Can we predict addiction to opioid analgesics? A possible tool to estimate the risk of opioid addiction in patients with pain.

BACKGROUND: The use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of chronic pain conditions has long been controversial. They have been reported to be relatively safe when prescribed with caution, but a brief and valid instrument to estimate a person's risk of addiction is still missing. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate a self-rating questionnaire allowing an estimation of a person's risk of addiction to opioid analgesics. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Four Austrian hospitals. METHODS: Seven hundred forty-one patients were interviewed. Of these, 634 patients were affected with chronic pain while 107 patients had a history of opioid addiction. Patients were interviewed about alcohol and nicotine consumption and family history of psychiatric disorders. Attitudes towards medication and the origin of pain were examined. We asked patients with an opioid addiction and patients suffering from chronic pain to complete a short questionnaire intended to help screen for addiction potential. RESULTS: Compared to the patients suffering from chronic pain, patients with an opioid addiction significantly more often had alcohol- and nicotine-related pathologies and psychiatric comorbidity. A family history of mental illness and developmental problems were significantly more frequent in this group. Compared to those not addicted, those with an opioid addiction had significantly higher expectations concerning the potential of medication to change one's mental state; they thought that psychological  factors might contribute to the pain they feel. LIMITATIONS: The main limitation of this study is the use of a self-rating instrument which reduces objectivity and introduces the possibility of misreporting. Also, the 2 groups differ in number and are not homogenous. CONCLUSION: We found differences in questionnaire responses between patients with an opioid addiction and patients suffering from chronic pain to be dependent upon the prevalence of current or former addiction, psychiatric history, attitudes towards medication, and ideas about the origin of pain. We believe these factors have predictive value in estimating a patient with pain's risk of addiction.

Genetic markers of comorbid depression and alcoholism in women.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol dependence (AD) is often accompanied by comorbid depression. Recent clinical evidence supports the benefit of subtype-specific pharmacotherapy in treating the population of alcohol-dependent subjects with comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD). However, in many alcohol-dependent subjects, depression is a reactive response to chronic alcohol use and withdrawal and abates with a period of abstinence. Genetic markers may distinguish alcohol-dependent subjects with MDD not tied chronologically and etiologically to their alcohol consumption. In this work, we investigated the association of adenylyl cyclase genes (ADCY1-9), which are implicated in both AD and mood disorders, with alcoholism and comorbid depression. METHODS: Subjects from Vienna, Austria (n = 323) were genotyped, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (1,152) encompassing the genetic locations of the 9 ADCY genes were examined. The Vienna cohort contained alcohol-dependent subjects differentiated using the Lesch Alcoholism Typology. In this typology, subjects are segregated into 4 types. Type III alcoholism is distinguished by co-occurrence of symptoms of depression and by affecting predominantly females. RESULTS: We identified 4 haplotypes associated with the phenotype of Type III alcoholism in females. One haplotype was in a genomic area in proximity to ADCY2, but actually within a lincRNA gene, 2 haplotypes were within ADCY5, and 1 haplotype was within the coding region of ADCY8. Three of the 4 haplotypes contributed independently to Type III alcoholism and together generated a positive predictive value of 72% and a negative predictive value of 78% for distinguishing women with a Lesch Type III diagnosis versus women designated as Type I or II alcoholics. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in ADCY8 and ADCY5 and within a lincRNA are associated with an alcohol-dependent phenotype in females, which is distinguished by comorbid signs of depression. Each of these genetic locations can rationally contribute to the polygenic etiology of the alcoholism/depression phenotype, and the use of these genetic markers may aid in choosing appropriate and beneficial treatment strategies.

Preparing for DSM 5 - assessment of personality pathology during psychoanalytic and psychiatric treatments.

BACKGROUND: Currently, the conceptualization and treatment of personality pathologies are mainly theory driven. The resulting categorical classification of personality disorders leads to inaccurate diagnoses and is therefore being criticized by many researchers and clinicians. A consensus exists that in the upcoming edition of the DSM (DSM 5), the classification of personality disorders should rather adopt a dimensional approach, where patients are assessed depending on their character traits, inner-defense mechanisms, and interpersonal functioning. However, the basis (theoretical or empirical) of this classification-system is still a topic of dispute. This study presents assessment methods based on both theoretical and empirical assumptions. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether psychodynamic instruments employed in psychoanalytic settings are also useful for measuring changes in personality pathology in psychiatric inpatient settings. METHODS: Matched pairs between two groups of patients, one receiving outpatient psychoanalytic care (n = 10; mean age 36 ± 11), the other inpatient social-psychiatric treatment (n = 10; mean age 27 ± 6), were created and subsequently analyzed (mean observation period 20 ± 11 days). Patients were assessed using psychodynamic instruments measuring changes in quality of object relations (QORS) and affect regulation and experience (AREQ). To allow conclusions concerning the respective mechanisms of change, the influence of the therapeutic relationship, measured by using instruments evaluating transference (PRQ) and countertransference (CTQ) patterns, was also assessed. RESULTS: The instruments aforementioned were shown to be suited for both psychoanalytic and psychiatric patients. Typical short-term developments of the distinctive therapeutic procedures were evident; however, in both settings a positive working alliance was shown to be crucial for therapeutic progress. CONCLUSION: The psychodynamic instruments introduced in this study proved to be effective in measuring personality pathology in psychiatric inpatients and in helping clinicians throughout the indication and recommendation process during transition from inpatient to outpatient treatment. Since components of such assessment methods are being considered for DSM 5, their practical utility is shown in this study.

The Lesch alcoholism typology - psychiatric and psychosocial treatment approaches.

In the past three decades, researchers have been attempting to replace the obsolete concept of homogeneity of alcohol dependence, by classifying these patients into specific heterogeneous subtypes. Based on 30 years of experience and research, the Lesch Typology has proved to be very useful in clinical daily routine. The aim of the Lesch Typology is to provide targeted subtype-specific treatments to patients, thereby increasing their probability of long-term abstinence and hence improving their prognosis. The Lesch Typology is based on data from a longitudinal prospective study (with follow ups even 19 years later) on alcohol dependent patients (n=436). By observing the long term development of these patients, four distinct courses could be identified. In the meantime, a computerized version of the Lesch Typology had been created and translated into many languages, and is currently being employed in numerous psychiatric institutions while assisting clinicians in quickly determining a patient's subtype (www.lat-online.at). Based on the patients' drinking patterns and origin of substance craving, hence according to the Lesch Typology, four subtypes of alcohol dependent patients can be distinguished: 1. the "allergy model" (craving caused by alcohol); 2. the "conflict resolution and anxiety model" (craving caused by stress); 3. the "depressive model" (craving caused by mood); and 4. the "conditioning model" (craving caused by compulsion). Pharmacological treatments are not always the most effective way of preventing relapses in alcohol dependent patients. Many times, a combination with psychosocial as well as psychotherapeutic approaches is necessary and essential for helping patients to stay sober. Depending on the patient's Lesch Type, certain therapeutic approaches are more appropriate and subsequently lead to better results and higher chances of lasting abstinence.